Project Overview

On October 15, 2007, Freeholder James F. Lacey announced the official opening of the Barnegat Branch Trail (BBT), Ocean County’s premier regional, multi-use rail-to-trail park.

The BBT is a 15.6-mile linear “rail-to-trail” project that will extend from Barnegat Township to Toms River Township. The public trail, which lies primarily along the abandoned Barnegat Branch Division of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), and including 2.0 miles of existing trail and proposed road and sidewalk connections, will be developed and constructed in several phases.

Guiding the design and management of the trail is the Conceptual Plan for the Barnegat Branch Trail, which was released in August 2007 by Freeholder James F. Lacey. The Conceptual Plan was coordinated by the Planning Department and authored by prime consultants Strauss & Associates/Planners with support from subconsultants Melillo & Bauer Associates/Landscape Architects.

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To date, construction of Phases I and II of the BBT, 3.1 total miles from Burr Street in Barnegat Township to Route 532 in Ocean Township, has been completed, and the span has quickly become popular within the community. Currently, trail users experience mostly wooded areas and some residential and commercial development in Barnegat and Ocean’s southern reach.

The trail surface for these phases, as it will be for the duration of the trail, is 10’ wide stone dust, which ensures ADA accessibility and a more natural-looking trail. Additionally, all at-grade street crossings are improved with advanced warning lighting and push button signaling for both trail users and vehicles, and major intersections have also been treated with high friction pavement surfacing for enhanced safety. Also, wayfinding and informational signs are located at all trail access nodes for guidance along the trail, mile-markers have been installed along Phases I and II. Phases I and II have been landscaped and environmentally restored as well.

Also completed under the Phase II construction contract is the Country Lane designated parking area, which has twelve parking spots and ADA access for trail users. This 1.65 acre site, which the County acquired in 2006, is currently home to a County garage for trail maintenance and will also be the future site of the Country Lane trailhead, a two-restroom facility that will include an indoor historic railroad exhibit.

This display will show case artifacts from the old Waretown Station, which were preserved prior to the station‘s demolition. Under a previously awarded NJDEP grant, the BBT project team is working to research and design a series of interpretive, historical, and environmental fiberglass panels that will be located throughout Phases I and II of the trail.

Additionally, the County applied for and received a $313,000 grant under the NJDOT’s Local Bikeway Program for construction of Phase III, which will span 2.0 miles from Cedar Creek at Dudley Park to Maryland Avenue in Berkeley Township. The project team has been closely coordinating with township officials and staff in order to secure public land adjacent to the trail for designated parking areas and a proper trail buffer.

Also, an elevated boardwalk through environmentally sensitive areas in Dudley Park will be constructed in order to improve access to the BBT through the municipal park. It is anticipated that this phase will be bid out for construction during fall 2009 with an opening date of spring 2009.

Planning staff also submitted to NJDOT a grant application for construction of Phase IV, 1.5 miles from Route 532 in Ocean Township to its border with Lacey Township at Oyster Creek. Construction of Phase IV is crucial to the continuation of the trail as it is the adjacent segment to Phase II and would complete 4.6 contiguous miles of the 15.6-mile trail. A decision from the NJDOT is expected during January 2010, and receipt of this grant would result in a fall 2010 construction bid.

The Barnegat Branch Trail project team is actively planning for the next phases of the trail including the adjacent Waretown segment to Lacey Township as well as the adjacent Lacey segment below Cedar Creek.

It is the County’s vision that the BBT will be more than a recreational park; rather, when complete, it will be a vital transportation corridor, as well as a valuable environmental and historical resource and an enormous asset to Ocean County residents and visitors alike.

The Barnegat Branch Trail logo was intently designed with history in mind: Lady Liberty’s silhouette is reminiscent of the Central Railroad of NJ (CNJ) logo, adopted by the railroad in 1944 to reflect the close proximity of the CNJ terminal in Jersey City to the Statue of Liberty. The BBT logo also includes a ghost locomotive, as well as Ocean County’s most recognizable environmental features.

HAPPY AND SAFE WALKING & RIDING!